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Lakers Finally Win One…Throttle Pistons 108-79
11.04.12
Dwight Howard gets fouled going to the basket.
The By The Numbers recap for the Lakers 108-79 win over the Detroit Pistons at Staples Center on Sunday. The Lakers are now 1-3, and play next at Utah on Wednesday night.
108
The amount of points the Lakers scored on Sunday night, their best offensive output of the season thus far. They also shot 51.9% from the floor and are shooting 50.3% through the first four games.
81
The amount of points the Lakers starters scored against the Pistons, with four of the five in double-figures, led by Dwight Howard’s 28 points on 12-14 from the field.
46
The percentage of threes the Lakers made Sunday, hitting 10-22 from beyond the arc. So far this season, the Lakers shooting from the 3-point line has been impressive at 40.6%, with Steve Blake leading the way hitting 5-8 for 62.5%.
35
The percentage that Detroit hit from the floor, making just 28-79 shots. Think about this…Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, and Metta World Peace made 25 baskets by themselves.
32
The amount of minutes Kobe Bryant played Sunday, which makes all Laker fans happy. Kobe played 43 minutes Friday against the Clippers, and with a strained foot he doesn’t need to be logging so many minutes this early in the season. He got much needed time off against Detroit, only needing to take 10 shots as well.
28
The Lakers led at halftime on Sunday 62-34, which was easily their best performance in any half this season. They didn’t let up much in the second half, as they increased the lead to 36 at one point, before winning by 29.
15
The amount of turnovers committed by the Lakers Sunday. Might not seem like a big deal, but when a team commits 59 turnovers in their first three games, 15 sounds a lot better. Also keep in mind, many of those 15 came in garbage time with the game out of hand. The Lakers did protect the ball relatively well all night.
1
The Lakers’ current winning streak. Hey, have to start somewhere!
See you guys Wednesday after the Utah game.
Lakers Struggle Again…Drop To 0-2
10.31.12
Dwight Howard is fouled as he goes up for a dunk.
The Lakers got huge games from both Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant, but turnovers and bad defense did them in again, as they dropped to 0-2 on the young season, with a 116-106 loss in Portland.
For the second straight night, the Lakers floundered and flailed, and were again unable to mount any real consistent play in dropping yet another game in Portland. In actuality, the Lakers have lost 12 straight games if you go back to last season, and count the preseason contests. To add insult to injury, Steve Nash bumped knees with Blazer rookie Damian Lillard in the first half, and was unable to play more than 1:16 of the second half.
Dwight Howard, however, did bounce back from a very tough first game to score a game-high 33 points, to go along with 14 rebounds, and five assists. He also hit 15-19 from the foul line, a day after shooting just 3-14 against Dallas. Kobe Bryant had 30 points on 10-20 from the field, and Pau Gasol added 16 points and nine rebounds.
Beyond those three though, the Lakers got just 27 points from the rest of the team, with the bench struggling again, scoring just 15 points. Ironically, they actually outscored the Trail Blazer bench 15-13. But the bench play is clearly an issue early on as no player had more than seven points, and forced Mike Brown into playing his starters big minutes again.
The feisty Blazers played very well, led by Nicolas Batum’s 26 points and six rebounds. Rookie Damian Lillard dazzled 23 points and 11 assists, and Wesley Matthews dropped in 22 including 4-6 from the three-point line.
Portland turned a close 62-57 halftime lead into a rout late in the third quarter. After the Lakers had cut the game to 79-76 on a layup by Howard, the Blazers closed the quarter on 13-0 run to blow it wide open. The Lakers were never able to get closer than eight the rest of the way, as they continue to turn the ball over at an alarming rate.
The Lakers did shoot well for the second straight night, hitting 36-72 (50.0%) from the floor, and 26-32 (81.3%) from the foul line, a day after hitting a miserable 12-31. However, Portland shot even better at 42-83 (50.6%) from the field, including 9-20 (45.0%) from beyond the arc. The Lakers won the rebound battle, not surprisingly, 45-30, but did give up way too many second chance points. J.J. Hickson and Batum combined for nine offensive rebounds.
So Friday, the Lakers will try to notch their first win since May, when they take on the Clippers at Staples Center, as the home team. They also may have to do it without Steve Nash, whose status for Friday night’s game is unclear.
Remember to check out our box scores and stats, as we update them nightly right after the game.
Kobe and Fish Rally Lakers Past Blazers
03.21.11
Kobe Bryant shoots jumper against Portland.
Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher have 10 championship rings between the two of them. On Sunday night they provided a glimpse as to why, as they both hit several big buckets late, rallying the Lakers to an 84-80 win over the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center.
The Lakers played the game without center Andrew Bynum, who was suspended two games by the NBA for his flagrant foul on Friday night. Without Bynum patrolling the paint, the Blazers were able to dominate the Lakers on the glass, and led the game for most of the night despite very poor shooting. In fact, neither team looked good on offense.
Bryant led the Lakers with 22 points, but scored 10 of them in the fourth quarter with the game very much in doubt. His short jumper in the lane with just over a minute left gave the Lakers an 80-76. Thirty seconds later, he hit a picture-perfect fallaway baseline jumper over Brandon Roy that gave the Lakers an 82-77 lead. That seemingly was the dagger for the champs.
However Portland wouldn’t quit. After they got to within two at 82-80, Fisher stuck a 17-foot jumper with 10 seconds left and the shot clock running out to seal the victory the Lakers. Fisher also had two sensational defensive plays in the final minutes, and scored a layup with just under two left to put the Lakers up 78-76, a lead they would never relinquish.
The win pushed the surging champs to 12-1 since the All-Star game, and clinched their fourth straight Pacific Division crown. They also stayed one game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks for the second place in the Western Conference standings. Los Angeles is now 3-0 against Blazers this year, marking the first time since the 2004-05 season the Lakers will win the season series.
Lamar Odom, starting for Bynum, scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Pau Gasol had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Ron Artest chipped in with 10 points.
For the game, the Lakers held Portland to a miserable 38.6% (32-83) from the field and just 6-25 (24.0%) from the three-point line. Neither team shot the ball particularly well. The Lakers did finish at 44.9% (35-78) from the floor, but just 3-17 (17.6%) from beyond the arc. The one bright spot was they hit 11 of their 12 free throws. Portland won the rebound battle easily 45-35, including 17-9 at the offensive end, certainly a sign the Lakers missed Bynum’s presence in the middle.
Nicolas Batum led the Blazers with 25 points, scoring 22 of them in the first three quarters. He did make 4-9 from long range. LaMarcus Aldridge scored 18 points to go along with six rebounds, and Rudy Fernandez was the only other Portland player in double figures. He had 10 points, but hit just 3-10 shots. At one point the Portland went on 15-0 scoring run in the game, spanning halftime.
The Trail Blazers did lose forward/center Marcus Camby late in the game as he appeared to injure his ankle. A big loss for a team trying to make a push towards the playoffs, and with a tough schedule coming up.
The Lakers are now 3-0 on their seven-game homestand, and will take on the Phoenix Suns Tuesday night at Staples Center. The last time the Suns were in Los Angeles, they hit 22-40 three-pointers on their way to a shocking 121-116 win back on November 14. The Lakers have won both games in Phoenix this season.
Lakers Make Short Work of Knicks Again
02.11.11
Kobe Bryant pours in two of his 33 against the Knicks.
The Lakers had no problems putting away the Knicks early for the second time this season, as they rolled over the New Yorkers 113-96 at Madison Square Garden on Friday night.
Kobe Bryant was the star on this night, unleashing his entire repertoire of shots on the star-filled New York crowd, as he played yet another stellar game in one of the NBA’s most-storied buildings.
Bryant finished the game with 33 points and 10 rebounds on 12-17 shooting from the floor, playing just under 29 minutes. He scored 19 of his 33 in the first quarter, including a buzzer-beating turnaround jumper that put the Lakers up 30-28 after one.
Pau Gasol had a solid game with 20 points and six rebounds, and he also got a long rest on the bench as the Lakers led by double-figures for most of the night.
Lamar Odom had 14 points off the bench, Andrew Bynum scored 12 points and grabbed nine boards, and Shannon Brown hit six of his 10 shots, including a highlight-reel alley-oop dunk in the second quarter, en route to 12 points.
The Knicks stayed close early, trailed by just two after one quarter, and took the lead early in the second. But the Lakers’ bench came in and took the game away from the home team, and the Lakers built a 62-48 lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, Bryant hit a jumper over Danilo Gallinari to put the Lakers up 70-52. The Knicks then made their last real run of the night, going on a 10-1 burst to close to within nine at 71-62. But the Lakers responded and scored six straight, culminating with a three-pointer by Bryant from the right side to go up 77-62. New York never got closer than 11 points the rest of the game, trailing by as many as 20 in the fourth quarter, as the champs cruised to the easy victory.
The Lakers shot 53.6% (45-84) from the field for the game, and 6-15 (40.0%) from the three-point line. But it was their defense that was most-impressive on this night, as they held the high-scoring Knicks to just 41.2% (32-85) from the floor and a miserable 5-20 (25.0%) from beyond the arc. New York did outrebound the Lakers 44-41, but most of that rebound advantage was gained in the fourth quarter with the game well over.
Amar’e Stoudemire led the Knicks with 20 points and 10 rebounds, but shot just 9-20 from the field, turning the ball over six times, and picking up a technical foul. Raymond Felton had a solid all-around game with 20 points and seven assist on 7-12 from the floor. Gallanari had 14 points, but hit just 4-15 from the field, including 0-6 from beyond the arc.
The Knicks have now lost to the Lakers eight straight times, including four in a row at Madison Square Garden. The Lakers moved their road record to 19-8, which surprisingly now matches their home record.
Los Angeles is now 4-0 on their current road trip, which takes them next to Orlando to go up against Dwight Howard and the Magic for the first time this season on Sunday. From there they head to Charlotte on Monday, and finish off the seven-game trip on Wednesday against the woeful Cleveland Cavaliers.
Lakers Muscle Up and Take Down Knicks
01.10.11
Andrew Bynum rises up for dunk against Knicks.
The Lakers got tough on Sunday night, and played a very physical brand of basketball against the upstart New York Knicks, winning going away 109-87 at Staples Center.
Kobe Bryant scored 27 points to go along with 10 rebounds, as the Lakers held the high-scoring Knicks to just 87 points on 36.0% shooting from the floor.
The Lakers big front line pushed the Knicks around all game long, and dominated on the boards 61-42, including 17 offensive rebounds. The game also had its share of chippiness, as the Lakers were assessed four technical fouls and a flagrant foul.
Andrew Bynum scored 18 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in a strong effort against Amare Stoudemire, but was ejected from the game in the fourth quarter with two technical fouls for arguing a call against him. It was a game loaded with emotion and hard fouls.
Ron Artest was hit with a technical early in the first quarter as it appeared he put his hands near the throat of the Knicks’ Shawne Williams. He then picked up a flagrant foul for dropping Stoudemire with a clothesline on his way to the basket in the third quarter. Bryant and Stoudemire also got into a heated argument moments later.
The Lakers led virtually the entire game, although the Knicks kept it close early, thanks to a lot of early Laker turnovers. A late second quarter push gave the champs a 52-47 lead at halftime.
After the break, the game got rougher, and the Knicks simply could not make shots. The Lakers led by double-figures for most of the second half. The Knicks got to within seven early in the fourth quarter on a three-point play by Stoudmire, but could get no closer, as the Lakers won going away by 22.
Pau Gasol also had a dominant game up front, scoring 20 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, and blocking four shots. Shannon Brown had 16 off the bench, and Lamar Odom scored 13 points and a pulled down a season-high 18 rebounds.
For the game, the Lakers didn’t shoot particularly well themselves at only 41.8% (38-91), although they did hit 8-17 from the three-point line, and turned the ball over only 13 times. After a sloppy start where they turned the ball over five times in the first five minutes, they committed just eight the remainder of the game. Taking care of the ball didn’t allow the Knicks to get into the transition game they desperately needed to in order to beat the bigger Laker squad.
The Knicks were led by Amar’e Stoudemire’s 23 points, 10 rebounds, and six blocked shots. Stoudemire shot just 7-24 from the floor, and didn’t hit his first basket until the middle of the second quarter. In fact he scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half, but many were after the game was out of reach.
The Lakers played their first game without backup forward Matt Barnes, who is scheduled to have surgery this week to repair a torn meniscus he suffered on Friday against New Orleans. The Lakers won’t have a timetable for his return after the surgery.
The Lakers have now won four straight, six out of seven, and haven’t lost to the Knicks since February of 2007.
Los Angeles’ next game is Tuesday night at home against the woefully bad Cleveland Cavaliers, who have certainly suffered without LeBron James. They’ve currently lost 10 in a row after their setback on Sunday in Phoenix, and are sitting with NBA’s worst record at 8-29.
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